Beloved (37 page)

The story she’d told Kira about her mother losing her memory, made her think of Altaria and how Ussay thought she was a friend from Kira’s world and not Lydia’s kindred spirit. Guilt seized her heart. She’d never lied to Ussay and didn’t want to start now. She knew she could trust her to keep a secret.

Kira wrapped the blanket around her a little more tightly and sat back down on the edge of the bed. “I have something I need to tell you.”

Ussay took a chair from the table and placed it near Kira. “I am listening.”

“Well, it’s about Altaria. She said you were under the impression that she is from Earth, but—”

“She is Lydia?”

“How long have you known?”

Ussay laughed. “Since she was a young girl, but after my mother’s memory was taken because of what she saw in the castle, I prefer to keep things like that to myself.”

“I don’t blame you.”

Ussay walked to the door, opened it a crack, then turned back to face Kira. “When you are ready, Althros is waiting. He has been pacing at my gate all morning. Mahli hasn’t been much better, though she—” The door pushed open from the other side, shoving Ussay to the side. Mahli entered like she owned the place, crossed the room and plopped down in front of the fire. “Like I was going to say, Mahli has been a pest.” She shot Mahli a look of frustration before leaving the cottage and closing the door behind her.

Kira joined Mahli on the floor for some snuggle time. She buried her fingers in the cub’s fur and gave her a rub. “Thanks for saving my life yesterday.” Mahli’s tongue lazily lapped at Kira’s cheek, giving her a slobbery kiss. Kira wiped the saliva from her face with a corner of the blanket. “Brat. If I need a facial, I’ll ask for one.” She gave the cat another rub, then stood, letting the blanket puddle at her feet.

After giving her body a quick wash, Kira slipped into her pants and tunic, then ate a quick bite of the food Ussay left for her, chasing it with a cup of aromatic tea. Her hair had grown a lot since hacking off her braid, but still left a few locks hanging over her eyes when pulled back into a ponytail. She tucked them behind her ears, wishing she had a couple barrettes to keep the wayward strands in place.

She cleaned up the breakfast mess, made the bed and tossed her bath water out the door. When she replaced the wash basin to the hearth, she accidently knocked the metal poker off its hook. It fell to the ground, making a loud clank as it bounced a couple times and came to rest a few feet away. The loud noise triggered an image to flash through Kira’s mind—Luka, bloody and beaten, lying in a swamp.

Kira grabbed her necklace, knowing full well it worked without her rubbing it. Somehow, holding it helped calm her.
Octavion, where are you? Is Luka with you?
She waited a few seconds before trying again, but received no reply.

Altaria, is everything all right? Have you heard from Octavion or Luka this morning?

No, we have not. Luka sent a message last night that he and Octavion needed to hunt, but we have not heard from them since. Mara is a little worried. Has something happened? Have you heard from either of them?

No, but I had one of my brain blips and the image was of Luka badly injured. He would have sent for help if he needed it, though, right?

You would think so.
There was a long pause before Altaria’s thoughts continued.
Perhaps you should come to the castle. Should I send someone to get you? I do not think it is safe yet for one of us to come, but I could send a servant with a carriage.

I have Althros. I will be there in a few minutes.

Kira replaced the poker and headed for the door. “Let’s go, Mahli. Something doesn’t feel right.”

Getting to the castle took a lot longer that Kira had anticipated. Althros was a mess. He still had the massive Kazedonian saddle on his back along with heavy weapons and saddlebags filled with provisions. She quickly unbuckled the girth strap and slid the entire load to the ground at his side, exposing even more scars and wounds than what she’d noticed the day before.

“I’m so sorry, buddy. I wanted you to be free, not captured by those idiots.” She healed the worst of the wounds, leaving the older, scarred and scabbed over ones for her to take care of later.

Althros waited patiently while Kira mounted him. While she could still sense the wild spirit burning within him, she could also tell he was a little skittish when they passed other people. She only hoped his captors hadn’t broken his spirit. She liked the feisty side of him.

When they arrived in the courtyard, she turned his care over to the stablemen. “I do not want him tied up or caged in any way. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my lady.” He reached for the reins, but Kira refused to hand them over. Not yet.

She unfastened the throat latch, lifted the bridle over the horses head and handed the straps of leather to the stableman. “Set out some food and fresh water for him and he will go to it. If he wants to leave, let him. If he goes into one of the stables, leave the door open. Let him come and go as he pleases, understood?”

The man looked at her curiously, then bowed. “As you wish.”

Kira moved so that she was nose to muzzle with the horse. She lovingly caressed his jaw. “Be nice to the man. He only wants to help you. I will be down later to make sure you’re all right.”

Althros gently nudged her with his head, then turned to follow the servant into the stable. Mahli stood nearby, watching the exchange, her tail twitching from one side to the other.

“Go on. You can stay with your friend.”

The cub happily obeyed, while Kira turned to face the thick wooden door that opened into the great room of the castle. She took a deep breath.
Please let everyone be okay.

As she pushed the door open, she heard voices coming from the sitting room, so she headed in that direction. She stopped short when she heard someone mention Octavion. Her heart felt like someone had twisted it inside her chest. What had they said? She inched closer, stepping to the side of the doorway to listen before going in.

“I haven’t heard from either of them since before the battle began,” Cade said, his voice laced with emotion.

“Perhaps they are tracking prey. You know how they get when they hunt.” Mara didn’t seem quite as worried, but then some mothers often put up a front to keep their children from worrying too much. A care Kira’s mother had never taken with her.

“What about Kira?” the king asked. “Has she heard from Octavion?”

“No, nothing, but . . .” Altaria paused for a moment.
Kira, please join us. I sense you are here.
“Perhaps we should ask her.”

Kira brushed a clump of horse hair from her tunic before rounding the corner and entering the room. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I just didn’t want to interrupt.”

“It’s quite all right, dear.” Mara stood and motioned for Kira to take her seat while she joined Nestor who stood at the opposite side of the room.

Before taking the offered seat, Kira scanned the room to get a feel for the mood. King Belesgar paced near the large fireplace, while Altaria sat on the edge of her seat, her ruby clasped tightly in her hand. Nestor and Mara seemed to be sharing their thoughts, occasionally nodding or whispering something, but she couldn’t make out any of the words. Cade was the only one who seemed to have a plan. He stood at a table in the middle of the room, a map laid out before him.

His head shot up, his eyes darting to Kira. “Where did you see Luka?”

Everyone’s attention turned to her. “Umm, I didn’t actually see him.”

Altaria stood, took Kira by the arm and led her to the table. “Do not discount your visions, Kira. They are a gift and might help us save Octavion and Luka.” She pointed to a spot on the map. “Here. She said she saw him in a swamp.”

“I think that’s what it was,” Kira corrected. “I’ve never actually been to one so I don’t know for sure. He was half in and half out of water and there was a lot of tall vegetation like I’ve seen on . . .” She stopped, knowing full well they wouldn’t have a clue what a TV was and she didn’t have time to explain.

The others in the room gathered around, listening intently. “What else did you see?” Nestor asked.

Kira closed her eyes, trying to see the image in her head again. It was fuzzy, but she could make out a canyon with red and orange feather-like plants at the base of the cliffs. “A canyon.”

“What else?” Cade asked.

Kira opened her eyes and looked down at the map again. “Plants that look like fire.”

Cade stabbed his finger onto a spot on the map. “Here.”

Nestor disappeared without a word. Mara grabbed Cade’s arm and shook her head, her eyes speaking volumes. Wherever Nestor had gone, she didn’t want Cade to follow.

It seemed like forever before Kira felt Nestor’s spirit reenter the room. Even more time passed before he appeared, Luka’s listless body draped across his arms.

“He is near death. His heart barely beats.” Nestor laid his son on a woven rug in front of the fireplace. “Kira, can you help him?”

Kira was at his side before Nestor finished speaking. She slid her hand up inside Luka’s tunic and pressed her palm against his bare chest. “He’s beat up pretty bad. Broken ribs. Lots of cuts and bruises.” She also sensed some internal bleeding, but didn’t tell them that. They were worried enough as it was, and his injuries weren’t the worst of her worries right now. As severe as they were, she knew she’d need to use her blood to heal the worst of them and cutting herself in a room full of Royals wasn’t exactly a good idea. Plus, she worried about being bound to him if their blood mixed.

“Can you heal him?” Mara asked, her hand gently squeezing Kira’s shoulder.

“Yes, but I’m not sure I can do it without cutting myself. If our blood mixes, will he be bound to me?”

“Yes.”

Kira sighed deeply. That’s what she was afraid of. “I’ll do the best I can, but he may have to finish healing on his own.”

“That is all we can ask,” Nestor said.

Kira looked up to find Nestor’s chocolate brown eyes. “Did you find Octavion?” Her heart begged for good news, but she knew if he was alive, he would have brought Luka back himself.

“I caught his scent, but could not find him.”

Altaria knelt at Kira’s side. “He is a strong Royal, Kira. He will be all right.” She took Kira’s free hand. “Now use me like you did when your shoulder blade was hurt. With both our strength, you can heal him.”

Kira looked at her with disbelief. “Are you sure? You hated that and said you’d never do it again.”

“I am sure. Now that I know what will happen, I am ready and so is my kindred spirit.”

“Okay, but let go if it gets to be too much.”

“I will.”

Kira focused all her healing powers on Luka’s wounds. Since he wasn’t conscious, she didn’t hold back, forcing all her energy through her fingertips and into his body. The superficial wounds healed easily, but the ribs and what she now knew was a tear in his liver, was much more painful for her and Altaria. Kira opened her eyes to find the Crystor glowing blue, its tattoo-like markings snaking around her fingers and spreading further up her arm.

Altaria’s hand clutched Kira’s other hand, the welt markings on her wrist a perfect reflection of Kira’s. Kira pulled away from Luka, pushing Altaria’s hand away at the same time.

“I’ll do this next part myself. It takes my complete concentration and you squeezing my arm is distracting me.” It was a lie, but Kira still felt the bond of the Crystor between them and it was her job to protect her friend, something she took very seriously.

Altaria gave her a sideways glare.
Liar.

Please. I need to do this myself.

Altaria put her arms up and sat back on her heels. “Go ahead, then.”

Kira put one hand back on Luka’s chest and the other on the back of his neck. She sensed something there earlier, but couldn’t quite pinpoint it. Now that everything else was healed, she identified the injury. She could only imagine how hard of a hit he took to crack two of his vertebrae and dislocate his jaw. Once again Kira focused her powers on the injuries, this time being careful to align everything correctly before fusing them together and healing them. For the first time since she’d healed on Earth, a sharp pain struck her right in the chest, knocking her back on the floor.